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Thrissur (, ), formerly Trichur, also known by its historical name Thrissivaperur, is a city and the headquarters of the Thrissur district in Kerala, India. It is the third largest urban agglomeration in Kerala after Kochi and Kozhikode, and the 21st largest in India. Thrissur is classified as a Tier-2 city by the Government of India. The city is built around a hillock called Thekkinkadu Maidanam (തേക്കിൻകാട് മൈതാനം) which seats the Vadakkumnathan (വടക്കുംനാഥൻ) temple. It is located north-west of the state's capital city, Thiruvananthapuram(തിരുവനന്തപുരം). Thrissur was once the capital of the Kingdom of Cochin (കൊച്ചി രാജ്യം - kochi rājyam), and was a point of contact for the Assyrian people, Greeks, Persians, Arab people, Ancient Rome, Portuguese, Dutch people and English people.
Thrissur is known as City of Celebrations and also called the cultural capital of Kerala because of its cultural, spiritual and religious leanings throughout history. The city centre contains the Kerala Sangeetha Nadaka Academy, Kerala Lalithakala Akademi and Kerala Sahitya Academy. The city hosts the Thrissur Pooram festival, the most colourful and spectacular temple festival in Kerala. The festival is held at the Thekkinkadu Maidan of Vadakumnathan Temple in April or May, in the Malayalam month 'medam'.
Religion is important and varied in Thrissur. The city has historically been a centre of Hindu scholarship, and Christianity, Islam and Judaism are believed to have entered the Indian subcontinent through Thrissur and its surrounding areas. Thrissur has a large number of well-known temples including the Vadakkumnathan temple, Thiruvambadi Sri Krishna Temple, and Paramekkavu temple. There are three major Catholic churches, the St. Antony's Syro-Malabar Catholic Forane, Our Lady of Lourdes Syro-Malabar Catholic Metropolitan Cathedral and Our Lady of Dolours Syro-Malabar Catholic Basilica, the largest Christian church in India. Thrissur is home to the Academy of Sharia and Advanced Studies an Islamic institute that is unusual in that it teaches Sanskrit and aspart of the Sanskrit syllabus it includes study of several key Hindu texts.
The city is the headquarters of four major scheduled banks, South Indian Bank Ltd, CSB Bank, Dhanalakshmi Bank and ESAF Small Finance Bank as well as several . The city is also a big centre for silks and gold jewellery. Thrissur attracts the largest number of domestic Tourism in Kerala.
Thrissur is also a major academic hub and is home to several educational institutions, including the Kerala Kalamandalam, Kerala Agricultural University, Kerala University of Health Sciences, College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Sree Kerala Varma College, St Thomas College, Jawahar Bal Bhavan Thrissur, Kerala Institute of Local Administration, Kerala Forest Research Institute, Ramavarmapuram, Police Dog Training Centre, Kerala Fire and Rescue Services Academy, Excise Academy and Research Centre, Government College Of Music And Performing Arts, Government College of Fine Arts, Government Law College, Government Engineering College, Government Medical College and Vaidyaratnam Ayurveda College. UNESCO has included Thrissur in its Global Network of Learning Cities (GNLC) in recognition of the city's outstanding efforts to make lifelong learning a reality for all at the local level.
The Portuguese had naval influence in many parts of Kerala in the 16th century, including Thrissur. At the beginning of the 17th century, the Portuguese naval power was reduced and Dutch Republic became the main naval power. With the help of the Dutch, the royal family of the Kingdom of Cochin recaptured Thrissur from the Zamorin of Calicut in 1710.
Thrissur rose to importance after Maharaja Sakthan Thampuran ascended the throne of the Kingdom of Cochin (1769–1805) and made Thrissur his capital. The Maharaja made the city into a major financial and commercial hub of South India, by inviting Syrian Christian families and Brahmins from adjoining areas.
During 1750–60 Hyder Ali, the Sultan of the powerful Kingdom of Mysore, conquered Thrissur, making it a tributary of Mysore. In 1786, the son of Tipu Sultan of Mysore led another invasion of Thrissur but retreated after the Srirangapattanam war. In the meantime, Rama Varma X, the successor of Sakthan Thampuran signed a treaty with the East India Company, transforming the state of Cochin into a British Protectorate. prepared by John Gould in 1816|left]]
The Indian independence movement gained momentum after a Committee was formed at the 1919 meeting of the Indian National Congress. The civil disobedience movement attracted many people in Thrissur in subsequent years, and Mahatma Gandhi visited the city in 1927 and 1934 to promote it.
R. K. Shanmukham Chetty, the controversial Divan of Cochin Kingdom from 1935 to 1941, developed the city by constructing Thrissur Town Hall and Ramanilayam, buildings which remain important in Kerala politics. Other important civic buildings and infrastructure constructed around this time include the Municipal Corporation Building of Thrissur and the Swaraj Round.C A Krishnan (2009). Anchuvilakku, p.35-38. Green Books, Thrissur.
In 1947, when India gained independence from colonial rule, Thrissur was part of the Kingdom of Cochin. Thrissur district was formed on 1 July 1949, with the headquarters at the city of Thrissur.
From the hillock, the city gradually flattens into the Thrissur-Ponnani Kole Wetlands, which act as natural drainage for the city. The water from the wetlands flows via rivers into the Laccadive Sea, keeping Thrissur city safe from the major flooding that affects most other cities in Kerala.
The city is located in the midland region of Kerala, with an extended part of the Palakkad plains.Jose AI, Paulose S, Prameela P & Bonny BP (eds), 2002, Package of Practices Recommendations: Crops , Kerala Agricultural University. Retrieved 18 January 2006. The city geologically is composed of Archaean gneisses and crystalline schists. Major parts of the city are covered by Archean rocks. The city lies near the center of the Indian tectonic plate (the Indian Plate) and is subject to comparatively little seismic or volcanic activity.
The city is drenched in the monsoonal season by heavy showers. The average annual rainfall is approximately . The South-west monsoon generally sets in during the last week of May. After July the rainfall decreases. On average, there are 124 rainy days in a year. The maximum average temperature of the city in the summer season is while the minimum temperature recorded is . The winter season records a maximum average of and a minimum average of .
According to the Reserve Bank of India, Thrissur has been regarded as a banking town since the 1930s, when 58 banks were headquartered in the city. In the present, the city remains a significant center for banking and finance, with the headquarters of major banks like South Indian Bank, CSB Bank, Dhanlaxmi Bank, and other financial institutions like Manappuram Finance, Kerala State Financial Enterprises and ESAF Small Finance Bank. Many , a type of Indian savings and credit system, are located in Thrissur. In 2010, an estimated 3,000 chit fund companies were located in Thrissur, employing approximately 35,000 people.
The city is a hub for the Ayurveda drug-manufacturing industry. Out of the 850 ayurvedic drug-manufacturing companies in Kerala, about 150, including some of the largest in the state like Oushadhi, Vaidyaratnam Oushadhasala, KP Namboodiris, are located in and around the city. Thrissur Ayurveda Cluster, another initiative by a group of Ayurvedic manufacturers of Thrissur, has developed a cluster in KINFRA Park in Koratty in Thrissur District.
Retail businesses in Thrissur include Kalyan Group, Jos Alukkas, Jos Alukkas and Josco Group. InfoPark Thrissur, the fourth technology park in Kerala, is situated in Thrissur District. Tourism has also contributed heavily to the economy of Thrissur. Domestic tourists generally use the city as a hub to explore the highly promoted tourism industry of the state of Kerala. The city with its temples, old churches and its culture, is ranked first in the number of domestic tourists visiting Kerala.
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Thrissur has functioned as a municipality since 1921 under the Cochin Municipal Regulations. In 1932, the new corporation building was constructed, and in 1972, several village councils or Panchayati raj were added to the municipality. On 1 October 2000, the municipal town was upgraded to a municipal corporation and took over the towns and villages of Ayyanthole, Koorkkenchery, Nadathara, Vilvattom (part), Ollur and Ollukkara.
The city is administered by the Thrissur Municipal Corporation, headed by a mayor and comprising three legislative assemblies Thrissur, Ollur and Cherpu. For administrative purposes, the city is divided into 52 wards, from which the members of the corporation council are elected for five years.
It is the second-largest city corporation in the state of Kerala in India. The corporation, headquartered in the city of Thrissur proper, directly controls power, water supply and solid waste management system in the city. The Thrissur Urban Development Authority and Town and Country Planning Department (TCPD) are the agencies that prepare development plan for the city.
The Thrissur City Police Commissionerate operates out of the erst-while District Armed Police headquarters at Ramavarmapuram. The Thrissur Rural Police has its headquarters at the District Collectorate complex at Ayyanthole. The city is also the headquarters of the Inspector General of Police, Thrissur Range, which looks after the law and order of Thrissur District, Palakkad District and Malappuram District. All the Superintendent of Police of these three districts come under his jurisdiction. The city also contains the Kerala Police Academy, Central Prison, Viyyur, Police Dog Training Centre and Excise Academy and Research Centre. Indian Reserve Battalion, the new commando unit of Kerala Police is headquartered in Ramavarmapuram. Border Security Force (148 battalion) have its first center in Kerala in Thrissur only.
India census, Thrissur city had a population of 315,957. Males constitute 48.2% and females constitute 51.8% of the total population numbering 152,296 and 163,661 respectively. The density of population is 3,130/km2. The sex ratio is 1,092/1,000 male. The total number of the households in the city is 66,827. The average family size in the city is 4.27 members. The city has a slum population equivalent to 0.30% of the total city population and 0.37% of the Kerala's slum population. The city has an average literacy rate of 95.96%: male literacy rate is 97.37% whereas female literacy rate is 94.72%.
Hindus constitute the majority with 54.20% of the population. Christians constitute 40.04% of the population and Muslims constitute 5.50% of the population in Thrissur city. In Thrissur district Hindu population is 58.42% and Muslim population is 17.07% and Christian population is 24.27%.
By language, 97.76% of the population speaks Malayalam and 1.35% Tamil language as their first language.
Thrissur city is also a part of the Thrissur Lok Sabha constituency and elects a member to the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Parliament of India, once every five years. The current MP is Suresh Gopi of the Bharatiya Janata Party. The Lok Sabha seat has primarily been held by the Indian National Congress (seven terms since 1951) and the Communist Party of India (ten terms since 1957).
Puli Kali, also known as Kavakali, is another festival, which attracts thousands of people to the city. It is performed by trained artists to entertain people on the occasion of Onam, an annual harvest festival, celebrated mainly in Kerala. Buon Natale is the cultural festival conducting at Swaraj Round with Christmas celebration. Buon Natale procession entered the Guinness World Records in 2014 for having the maximum number of people dressed up as Santa Claus. Other important festivals celebrated in the city include Christmas, Onam, Diwali, Easter, Eid ul-Fitr and Vishu.
Elephants play a major part in many of the city's festivals. Aanayoottu (feeding of elephants), held in Vadakkunnathan Temple in the City annually, is the world's largest elephant feeding ceremony. The ceremony is conducted on the first day of the Malayalam month of Karkidakam.
Thrissur is home to prominent Malayalam literary figures like Kovilan, Kunhunni Mash, Sukumar Azhikode, K. Satchidanandan, Mullanezhi, Sarah Joseph, Attoor Ravi Varma, Lalitha Lenin, P. Bhaskaran, Joseph Mundassery.
Asia's tallest church, the Our Lady of Dolours Syro-Malabar Catholic Basilica (Puthan Pally), Our Lady of Lourdes Syro-Malabar Catholic Metropolitan Cathedral which has an underground shrine, Saint Antony's Syro-Malabar Church, Ollur which has been called as Chinna Roma (Small Rome) are masterpieces of architecture and indigenous paintings. Saint Euphrasia's tomb and museum also situated in the city. St. Thomas Syro-Malabar Church, Palayur (28 km from Thrissur) is the first church in India, and Thomas the Apostle performed the first baptism in India here.
The Chettiyangadi Hanafi Mosque in Thrissur City is one of the oldest mosque in Thrissur. Cheraman Juma Mosque in Kodungallur, (40 km from Thrissur) is the first mosque in India.
The first cinema hall in Kerala, with a manually operated film projector, was opened in Thrissur by Jose Kattookkaran in 1907. In 1913, the first electrically operated film projector was established in city again by Jose Kattookkaran and was called the Jose Electrical Bioscope now known as Jose Theatre.
A film festival, known as the ViBGYOR Film Festival, is held in the city every year. It is an international short and documentary film festival. Telecom services are provided by various players like Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea, Jio, and the state-owned BSNL. BSNL is also offering 4G services in Thrissur. The city also has broadband wireless services on the WiMAX platform.
Private FM radio stations in the Thrissur are Club FM 104.8 MHz, Radio Mango 91.9 MHz, Red FM 91.1 MHz. All India Radio has an AM (630 kHz) and an FM (101.1 MHz) station for the city. The transmitter of the All India Radio (630 kHz) was commissioned on 4 November 1956. The station started independent broadcasting in 1974.Address of AIR Station, Thrissur [3] (Retrieved 8 January 2009)In euphonious harmony, The Hindu dated 3 February 2006 Thrissur has a Doordarshan studio with a low power transmitter located near the studio.
The city is largely dependent on private buses, taxis and Auto rickshaw for public transport.
State-owned Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) runs inter-state, inter-district and city services. Thrissur has three bus stations, the Shaktan Thampuran Private Bus Stand, Thrissur in Sakthan Thampuran Nagar, Vadakke Stand (Northern Bus Stand) and the Thrissur KSRTC Bus Station near the Thrissur railway station. State Highway (SH 69) Thrissur-Kuttippuram Road, SH 22 Kodungallur – Shornur Road, SH 75 Thrissur – Kanjani – Vadanappally Road are the three state highways which connect city with its suburbs and municipalities.
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